uncoils.’
‘I don’t think it was at all like that,’ said Painted Jaguar, but he felt a little
puzzled; ‘but, please, say it again more distinctly.’
‘When you scoop water with your paw you uncoil it with a Hedgehog,’ said
Stickly-Prickly. ‘Remember that, because it’s important.’
‘But,’ said the Tortoise, ‘when you paw your meat you drop it into a Tortoise
with a scoop. Why can’t you understand?’
‘You are making my spots ache,’ said Painted Jaguar; ‘and besides, I didn’t
want your advice at all. I only wanted to know which of you is Hedgehog and
which is Tortoise.’
‘I shan’t tell you,’ said Stickly-Prickly, ‘but you can scoop me out of my shell
if you like.’
‘Aha!’ said Painted Jaguar. ‘Now I know you’re Tortoise. You thought I
wouldn’t! Now I will.’ Painted Jaguar darted out his paddy-paw just as Stickly-
Prickly curled himself up, and of course Jaguar’s paddy-paw was just filled with
prickles. Worse than that, he knocked Stickly-Prickly away and away into the
woods and the bushes, where it was too dark to find him. Then he put his paddy-
paw into his mouth, and of course the prickles hurt him worse than ever. As soon
as he could speak he said, ‘Now I know he isn’t Tortoise at all. But’—and then
he scratched his head with his un-prickly paw—‘how do I know that this other is
Tortoise?’
‘But I am Tortoise,’ said Slow-and-Solid. Your mother was quite right. She
said that you were to scoop me out of my shell with your paw. Begin.’
‘You didn’t say she said that a minute ago, said Painted Jaguar, sucking the
prickles out of his paddy-paw. ‘You said she said something quite different.’
‘Well, suppose you say that I said that she said something quite different, I
don’t see that it makes any difference; because if she said what you said I said
she said, it’s just the same as if I said what she said she said. On the other hand,
if you think she said that you were to uncoil me with a scoop, instead of pawing
me into drops with a shell, I can’t help that, can I?’
‘But you said you wanted to be scooped out of your shell with my paw,’ said
Painted Jaguar.
‘If you’ll think again you’ll find that I didn’t say anything of the kind. I said
that your mother said that you were to scoop me out of my shell,’ said Slow-and-
Solid.
‘What will happen if I do?’ said the Jaguar most sniffily and most cautious.